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The Arrival of House Stark
Once again, the sun rose and beat in on those that were still asleep in the castle of Winterfell. Like most mornings, the air was crisp and cool making the want to get out of the warm blankets only that much more of a struggle for some of the children. The servants in the kitchen had the hearth well stoaked and had been cooking the morning meal. It would not be long before the sounds of the smithy beginning to work the bellows and get the coals glowing white-hot once more would be heard as well. Brandon had been up and about with the first ray of light that had shined into his room. Kissing his wife as he left their bed caused Maege to stir and look to him with a sleepy smile. “Must you always wake me with the first light...” She teased him as she too rose from their bed and placed her heavy robe on over her nightdress. Brandon had dressed himself in leather breeches and a tunic then wrapped the whole thing with a belt to hold it all down. His eyes looked sideways to his wife as he let out a light-hearted chuckle. “If you weren’t such a light sleeper, you’d sleep longer.” Through their warm laughter came a knock at the door. Brandon looked briefly at the door while he continued to chuckle at his wife. “Enter.” The door opened and Maester Umber walked in dressed in the robes of his station. His eyes looked to the both of them with a slight nod. “My Lord and Lady Stark. Please excuse the interruption so early in the morning.” Maege looked to the Maester and gave a nod. “It’s alright, Umber. We know you only come when you need to.” The Maester then gave a slight smile before it disappeared once more. “There was a Raven early this morning. From King’s Landing.” Brandon furrowed his brows and looked to Maege a moment before walking over and receiving the message from the old man. Opening it up, he read it over. “Well, it seems our family is being requested to attend the King’s name day celebration.” Maege rolled her eyes as she sat back down on the corner of the bed. Her blue-gray eyes looked to her husband as her distain for the King was apparent on her face. “You mean to tell me that we are being told that we have to show up to the man’s name day just to listen to him ramble on and drink himself into a whore’s bed before nightfall.” She sighed softly. “Don’t you ever get tired of listening to the demands of another King that has gone Mad while upon the throne, Bran?” Brandon looked to his wife and shook his head softly. “I do, Mae. But he is our king and we are summoned. At least a showing from our house is needed. Nothing more. You don’t need to go. However, some of us have to.” Maege sighed once more as she got up and walked to the vanity to begin brushing her hair. Her brush ripping through her hair was a clear sign to Brandon of how she truly felt about the summons. “My Lord, if I may make a suggestion?” Maester Umber walked into the room a bit more and closed the door behind him. Walking to be just in front of the fire place that held smoldering coals from the night before’s fire. Brandon looked to him as he took a seat next to the fire and gave a nod. “Go ahead, Umber.” “My Lord, I might make the suggestion of sending some of your children in your stead. Roselyn is well old enough to make this trip without the company of you. And with due respect, my Lady, she is well past the age you were when you brought her into this world. Perhaps the trip to King’s Landing will do her some good. Then there is Elora. She very well could join her sister on this trip. The two could use the new experiences in the world. It would do the both of them some good.” Brandon looked to Maege and took a deep breath. “What say you, Mae? I know you have a few words on it. I can see it behind your eyes.” “You want two of our daughters to leave home and travel to King’s Landing, alone? Are you out of your mind?” The spite placed in her voice was apparent and stung as she spat out her words to him. “Mae… Roselyn and Elora are not little girls anymore…” “But they’re our daughters! I could see if you wanted to send out a son if he was the same age as Roselyn. He would be able to protect himself. Roselyn can barely draw back her bow!” “That is not true! Have you seen her these last few years? Rose shoots better then any guard or scout in all of Winterfell. Don’t tell me that she can not protect herself on the King’s road...” Brandon sat down once more and stroked his lips with his thumb and forefinger. His mind deep in thought. “Bran, you can’t honestly be thinking to send our daughters to King’s Landing alone!” “I am. But they will not be alone. I’ll have Ser Geoden put together an escort with him included.” Brandon looked up to the Maester and gave a nod. “Have the Master at Arms meet me in the Great Hall in an hours time. There are things I wish to discuss with him. Have Septa get the children up and ready for their morning meal. I’ll be there shortly.” Umber gave a nod of his head and looked to the both of them before he left. “My Lord and Lady.” Maege didn’t say a word more. Instead she went about the room and got dressed. Brandon looked to her and sighed. “What would you have had me do, Mae? Ignore the King’s summons? Put our home and family in danger?” “You’ve already decided to place our daughters in danger. Do not talk to me about placing our family in danger.” Brandon stood and walked to the door. Opening it, he looked back to his wife. “Do not fight me on this, Mae. The girls go.” Before Maege could speak another word on the matter, Brandon had closed the door and walked down to the Great Hall where he would be joined by his family and Ser Geoden. Roselyn had been woken up by the Septa as her father had wished. But instead of being tended to as the other children were, Roselyn had dressed and fixed her hair on her own. She wore long sleeves to cover up the scarring from her riding accident long ago. It was a constant reminder of her stubbornness and the night she dishonored her family. Fidget looked to her from the end of the bed and jumped down waiting at the door. Once she had placed her slippers on, she walked from her room to the Great Hall for her morning meal with Fidget at her side. Walking through the hall, she smiled to those that she saw. The servants already busy with their duties would smile and continue on with their duties without a pause or delay. “Ow! Will you stop pulling my hair out?” Roselyn smiled with a soft giggle as she heard the complaining cry of her youngest sister, Brylee while she walked past her door. Brylee was no more then 10 with her name day coming within a month’s time. One that would find any reason to fight and argue, her favorite person to argue with was her older brother Rodrick, or so Roselyn liked to believe. Rodrick was a year junior to Roselyn and looked very much like their father. His chocolate colored hair was long and wavy that he kept tied back and ‘out of the way’ paired up with smoky gray eyes that would cut a hole right through a man. But the one thing she had to give him was the fact that he had patience and a sharp mind. She always thought that his sense of humor was lacking in some areas but he made up for it with how he cared for his wife, Laurianna who was heavy with child. The pair had just wed perhaps a year ago and already was coming the first of the Stark Grandchildren. Roselyn heard quick running steps before she was held onto from behind and felt a face in the middle of her back. It caused her to smile when she placed her hand down on the clasped hands of her second brother, Jon. Jon was 13 with the blue-gray eyes of their mother and lighter hair then the rest of them. It was a mop of light brown that rested on the top of his head and around his face. Kind hearted and soft spoken, Jon was really not one to start a fight with people and would run when he saw Brylee coming toward him. When asked, he would say that she scared him. Roselyn believed that it was because she would chase him with a stick when they were younger. “Good morning to you too, Jon. What has you all chipper and excited this morning?” The young man looked to Roselyn with a great smile as he let her go and walked beside her, preferring to hold her hand and swing it back and forth as they walked down the hall together. “Snaggle tooth caught a frog this morning and laid it in Septa’s bed. You should have heard her scream when she woke up.” Roselyn smiled with a soft laugh hearing of the exploits of the dire wolf and the enjoyment that was in her younger brother’s voice. Snaggle tooth was Jon’s dire wolf. A beautiful beast of gray and brown with brown eyes. The one thing that made everyone laugh was indeed there was one of his front canines that stuck out over his top lip when his mouth closed. Coming to the Great Hall, Roselyn sat in her normal place and Fidget at her feet. She smiled seeing her father across from her as she took a piece of meat from the table and gave it to Fidget. “You know your mother hates you feeding your beast from the table…” “I know. But I don’t see her joining us as of yet so I don’t exactly see being scolded either.” Roselyn looked to her father with a cheeky grin as she took another piece of meat and gave it to her wolf. Brandon chuckled with a smirk on his face before taking up his cup and drinking the wine from it. Placing it back down, he played with it a moment while he had a look of concentration upon his face. Roselyn picked up some fruit and began to eat while her eyes stayed upon her father. “Your mother will more then likely not speak to me for a while. We had a disagreement this morning.” He said as he picked up his chalice once more and drank from it. “What was it about this time? It seems as of late, there is always something that she is finding to grumble with you about. Are you sure she’s not with child once more?” Brandon chuckled and shook his head. “No, she’s not with child. This one, she has every right to be upset with me.” It made Roselyn tilt her head a bit as she looked to him. “And what reason was that?” Brandon looked to his daughter. “I’m sending you and Elora to King’s Landing for the King’s name day celebration in your mother’s and my stead. I believe that it will be good for the two of you and your mother doesn’t.” Roselyn looked to him and gave a nod of her head while she ate her meal. “That is why she is in her room, I am guessing?” She looked up to her father as she continued to eat. Normally when her parents had fought over something was when her mother decided to punish her father by ignoring him and letting him take care of things around the castle by himself. She’d take care of the children as she always had, but everything else, she would leave up to him. Brandon took another sip of wine and placed his glass on the table once more. “I’d send Rodrick but poor Laurianna is due to give birth at any time and I don’t need two women upset with me at the same time.” Roselyn laughed softly at the idea of her mother and sister in law both going at her father at the same time. “I do not envy you the task of being here while Laurianna goes into labor. Mother is going to be helpful to her but I feel for the rest of the house.” She picked up her glass and sipped from her own wine. The rest of the children had joined and each with their own wolf that joined the table as well. Elora sat next to Roselyn and smiled to her and their father. “What is it that you two are gossiping about this morning?” Elora helped herself to some wine as well as made her plate for breakfast. Roselyn smiled and sipped more from her goblet. “We weren’t gossiping. We are being sent to King’s Landing for the King’s name day celebration. Father and mother are staying home.” Elora’s face just about exploded with excitement. Roselyn couldn’t say the same for herself. She had learned too much when it came to the Targarians and knew that it was not long before more issues would arise. “The two of you will be leaving before the mid day meal with an escort of my choosing. When you finish your meal, pack your things.” Roselyn gave a nod and finished her wine. Elora was too excited to eat much of her meal and ran off to her room to begin packing. Akhra chasing after her wagging her tail. When the wagon had been packed and the provisions made for their trip, the girls made the rounds of good byes. Hugs and kisses were exchanged between the children. Brylee complained about not being able to go and it was perhaps the first time that Roselyn had ever seen Rodrick actually pick a fight with her to get her to stop. Brandon came up to Roselyn and Elora. Kissing the both of them and hugging them tightly, he looked to them both. “You know what you have been taught. You know the history. Be careful. Be cautious. Be safe. Keep your wolves with you always. Have fun and make us proud.” The girls smiled and gave a nod. Elora was more excited to leave then Roselyn. Perhaps it was the fact that once they left, Roselyn would truly be the one that was Lady Stark and not her mother. It would all rest on her shoulders. Brandon saw it in her eyes and kissed her forehead softly. “You’ve been ready to leave for some time. It’s time you do so, my Winter Rose. Live and do not just exist.” He patted the side of her face before he walked back into the house. Elora and Roselyn got into the carriage with their wolves. No sooner did they sit and wave out the window, they started to move. Roselyn got comfortable in the carriage and leaned against Fidget. “It’s going to be a long ride. I’d get some sleep if I were you.” She whispered to her sister as she was still very excited to be going to King’s Landing. However it didn’t take long for Roselyn to fall asleep. They rode for as long as they could before the horses needed to be rested and watered. Roselyn got out and stretched a bit. Walking over to the Master at arms who was watering his own horse, she smiled. “How much longer do you think it will be before we reach King’s landing?” The Master at Arms smiled and looked to the Young Lady Stark. “We’ll be there just after the evening meal. Your father sent a raven letting them know that you were going to be arriving this evening.” Roselyn was grateful for having him with them. If something should happen, at least she had him with her. Getting back into the carriage, she once more got comfortable and fell asleep when they began moving once more. She’d be happy when this trip was over and she was able to go home. Hours passed and they finally arrived in King’s Landing. The girls looked out of the windows at the city scape around them. It was unlike anything that either of them had seen before. Roselyn began to wonder if this trip was going to be worth it.